


From a Dark Place

by RomanTheSkeleton



Series: Seeing Red [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Horror, Multi, Other, Self-Insert, Underfell Sans (Undertale)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27406261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanTheSkeleton/pseuds/RomanTheSkeleton
Summary: While heading to Grillby's for a date with Sans, Roman has a run-in with an unwelcome visitor.
Relationships: Sans (Undertale)/Original Character(s)
Series: Seeing Red [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002207
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Where Ya Headed?

Roman wrapped their scarf around their neck and prepared to step out into the blustery night. Napstablook floated in, sheepishly, from his bedroom.  
“A-Are you s-sure you want to go out, n-now? The weather sounds bad?”  
Roman chuckled. “It’s fine, Blooky. Besides, I have a date.”  
“With Sans?” The little ghost asked, a hint of shy playfulness in his voice.  
“Who else?” Roman harumphed, grinning.  
“I wish you wouldn’t go,” Napstablook squeaked, hiding himself behind the door.  
Roman walked over to their friend, squishing his cool little face between their hands. “I’ll be fine.”  
“But I have a bad feeling,” he whispered, almost inaudibly.  
“Blooky, you always have a bad feeling.”  
“I’m serious,” he said, with a little more force.  
The attitude caught Roman off guard, but they really didn’t want to be late.  
“Look here, Blooky! I have my phone, okay? If something happens, I’ll call you, alright?”  
Napstablook nodded miserably and watched as Roman stepped out into the night.  
The wind was bitter and cut Roman to the marrow. The small skeleton shivered against the cold, despite the chunky hoodie Papyrus had bought them for their birthday. Their boots crunched in the snow, loudly, as the height-challenged monster sank into the deep banks.  
“How in the WORLD do S-sans and P-Paps d-dress l-like they do?” Roman’s teeth chattered. “I’m f-f-freezing!”  
Roman wrapped their arms as tightly around themselves as they could, trying to use their arms as a shield against the wind. A firm grip on their shoulder suddenly halted their progress. Bony fingers wrapped, like a pale spider, into their peripheral vision.  
“Where ya headed?” A familiar voice purred.  
There was something strange about it, too, though, something that broke Roman out into a nervous sweat in spite of the frigid temperature.  
“What’s with the voice, Sans? Are you trying to sound sexy because it’s not working for you?”  
The voice clucked its tongue. “Now that hurts my feelings.”  
Roman was spun around suddenly and with tremendous force. They found themselves face-to-face with eye sockets filled with red, glowing embers of rage. A smile leered back at them that was a serrated, funhouse mirror version of Sans’. A gold tooth glinted in the low light of the moon.  
“I’ve been told my voice is very sexy,” the nightmare in leather said. His voice was arsenic sweet.  
Roman opened their mouth to scream. Their unwanted company pulled them in tight and pressed a hand tightly over their mouth.  
“Now, now, sugar. That ain’t very neighborly. Why don’t we take a walk? Go somewhere where we can talk in private?”  
He forced Roman into a walking position and twisted their arm behind their back, his hand still held firmly across his mouth.  
“Don’t get cute. I happen to know that little soul of yours is awful fragile, and I have real good aim. Now walk.”  
Racked with fear, Roman was herded into the dark, cold woods. They fought back an onslaught of tears that stung their eyes, unsure if they would ever see the light of day or their friends, again.


	2. Signs of Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans starts to worry and what Papyrus finds in the snow doesn't help.

Sans drummed his fingers impatiently on the bar, staring at the empty bottles of ketchup he had accrued. “Hey, Grillby! What time is it, now?”  
Grillby glanced over at him, clearly annoyed.  
“Ugh, fine!”  
This wasn’t like Roman. They were never late to anything without a phone call. Papyrus had offered to run by Napstablook’s to see if Roman was still there, but Sans hadn’t heard back from him, yet, either. He was starting to get worried. He bounced his leg and down on the barstool, his pink slippers squeaking softly.  
“SANS!” A nasally voice yelled from the door.  
Sans spun on the barstool, ignoring the irate heat radiating off of Grillby. Papyrus staggered up, out of breath. Grillby cooled down and moved in, concerned.  
“Roman wasn’t at Blooky’s. They left an HOUR ago, and look what I found in the snow!”  
Papyrus slapped down a green cell phone, frosted over, and cracked. A pink clipper charm dangled off of it. Dread caused Sans’ head to spin.  
“How far away was it?” Sans asked, trying to keep his voice steady.  
“It was about a mile from here,” Papyrus said, his voice clearly trembling.  
“Can you show me?”  
“Of course!”  
Sans glanced at Grillby, who waved him away, tapping the cash register as he always did. Sans jumped up, and he and Papyrus rushed out of the bar. If something had happened to Roman, he didn’t know if he could ever forgive himself.


	3. Dust to Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman learns their fate.

Roman sat in the snow, shivering. It was more from fear than the cold. They kept searching the woods, silently, watching for any signs of someone...anyone. Their captor stood some ways away, quietly surveying the scenery.  
“It’s nice here. Woods ain’t as creepy.”  
He turned around, the glow in his eyes making him look like some demonic predator in the deep shadows of the nighttime forest. He strolled toward Roman, casually, his footfalls disturbingly heavy in the crisp snow. He knelt down, his face nearly touching Roman’s.  
“So, sugar, I was thinking about you calling me by name, but you look like my ex-partner, so I get the feeling I’m not the Sans you were talking to. So, I gotta question for you. Is your name Roman?”  
Roman was floored by the question. They stared up at their kidnapper blankly, the gag that had been placed over their mouth restricting their breathing. When they didn’t respond, the horror Sans pushed them down on the frozen ground and slammed his hands down on either side of their skull.  
“I’ll ask you one more time. Is...your...name...Roman?”  
Trembling hard, they nodded meekly.  
“That’s what I thought. That’s why I approached you in the first place. Since you already know a Sans, I’ll be nice and let you call me Red. If you’re good, I’ll even take the gag off. We’re gonna be together for a long time, see? We need to learn to get along.”  
Red pulled the gag down, his voice oozing with toxic molasses. “My Roman left me, so I want to treat you good, you know?”  
“Then let me go,” Roman said, their voice barely a whisper.  
“No can do, sugar.”  
“Please,” they whimpered. “I want to go home.”  
The lights in Red’s eyes glowed a brighter, deeper red. “If you don’t behave, the gag goes back on.”  
Growing more stressed, Roman started to cry. “What do you want from me? Just go get your Roman back!”  
“I CAN’T, ALRIGHT!”  
The roar of Red’s voice sent a shock wave of white-hot terror through Roman. They cringed hard away from him.  
“My brother dusted them,” Red said, lowering his voice. “They’re gone, so you’re mine, now. Fuckin’ deal with it!”  
Red forced the gag back on and moved back to his original position, leaving Roman to quiver by themselves in a mound of winter.


	4. The Great Papyrus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans worries that he may never see Roman, again.

The snow fell, silent and soft. Sans’ and Papyrus’ voices echoed through the quiet as they searched for Roman. Sans grew more and more desperate with each passing moment.  
“Paps, where are they? What if something happened?”  
“I’m sure they’re fine, Sans. Don’t panic.”  
“I’m already panicking! I should’ve gone to Napstablook’s to pick them up. I’m a terrible partner. I should’ve-!”  
Papyrus walked up and squeezed Sans’ shoulder. “We’ll find them, Brother. Oh! How about we split up? Maybe we can cover more ground!”  
“But what if something happens to you, too?” Sans asked, sounding defeated.  
“To me? Nyehehe! Don’t be ridiculous! For I am THE GREAT PAPYRUS, Captain of the Royal Guard!”  
Papyrus stood tall, puffing out his chest. Sans smiled. He was always smiling, really, but Papyrus knew the difference. He could tell Papyrus was watching him. No matter what, Paps always knew how to cheer him up.  
“Alright, Paps, but if anything happens, ANYTHING, you call me!”  
“Of course, Sans! If I find Roman, you’ll be the first to know.”  
Papyrus bent down and hugged his elder brother tightly. “It’s going to be alright.”  
“I know,” Sans said, muffled in Papyrus’ scarf.  
Papyrus stood up, suddenly, turned on his heel, and marched off into the darkness. Sans grinned after him until he was out of sight. Now alone, it was time for his own search to begin, and with Papyrus away, he could do it right.  
As the darkness and smothering quiet closed in around him, the world began to blur and shift. The snow and pathway they had been on melted away like wet paint. Sans closed his eyes to fight off any motion sickness that might come on from the sudden movement. When he opened them again, he was deeper in the forest.   
He was going to find Roman if it was the last thing he did.


	5. Just a Taste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So it begins...

Time crept by, stretching minutes into centuries. Anxiety had overwhelmed Roman, turning rapidly into exhaustion. Before they knew it, they were nodding off. The sweet embrace of sleep was welcome. Maybe they would wake up, and this would all have been a dream. Right? A very, very, very bad dream.  
The heavy crunch of Red’s feet in the snowbank near them proved otherwise. Though Roman continued to feign being out cold, the lurker’s presence loomed over them. It took everything in them to stop from trembling.  
“I know you’re not asleep,” Red’s poison honey voice cooed from somewhere from the void. “Then again, maybe you are, but it doesn’t matter to me. I want to get to know you better, and now’s not the time for sleepin’.”  
The pseudo-sweetness in his voice vanished like late-morning fog, and the threat in it was all too real. Roman could feel the weight of Red on their torso, but they refused to open their eyes. The “play dead” technique was failing, but Roman planned to commit, if for nothing else but their sanity.  
Red pushed up Roman’s hoodie, exposing their ribcage to the biting air. A sharp fingertip slid under the gag, pulling it down. Caressing their face. Roman jolted, finding it harder and harder to pretend.  
“I appreciate your commitment to the bit, sugar.” Red chortled, sliding a frosty hand up under Roman’s dark shirt.  
“Stop,” Roman pleaded quietly, finally giving up on their game of possum.  
“Oh! Awake, now?” Red goaded, moving both hands to Roman’s hips.  
His thumbs played with the edges of Roman’s pants.  
“Stop.” Roman said, more urgency in their voice.  
Abject horror buzzed inside Roman’s skull. Red laughed; a deep, nasty, joyless laugh. The sound itself was more frigid than the wind that blew around them.  
Red leaned in close to Roman’s neck. “Make me.”  
Red jerked hard at Roman’s pants, driving them mad with dread.  
“NO! STOP!”  
In the blink of an eye, Roman was no longer on the ground. Red held them hard against him several feet from where they had lain, his chest heaving with panic. An abnormally sized bone stuck up from the ground. The position would have torn Red’s head off, missing Roman completely.  
“GET YOUR FILTHY FUCKING CLAWS OFF OF MY PARTNER!”  
Sans!  
Sans stood in the entrance of the clearing, his left off glowing bright with fury. Roman’s eyes overflowed with tears. Sans was finally here.


	6. He's Got Jokes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dad jokes galore!

“Sans!” Roman called out, relieved.  
“Don’t worry, hon! I’m here. This low-budget Sans has got me seein’ ‘red’, but once I’m done with him, we’ll hit Grillby’s, okay?”  
Roman chuckled half-heartedly and shook their head.  
“Pretty confident for a half-baked loser, don’tcha think?” Red sneered. “I hate to disappoint ya, but Roman’ll be leavin’ with me.”  
“That won’t be possible, you see, ‘cause...you ain’t leavin’.”  
All playfulness was gone, and Sans was all business. He was dangerous, now. He was as frightening as his darker counterpart. Red grunted and clicked his neck from side to side.  
“Okay, let’s see who comes out of this on top, shall we?”  
Red forced Roman down against a tree. “Wait here, doll. I’ll be back.”  
“Don’t touch them like that, again. EVER!” Sans snarled.  
His voice was low, but the message was clear. Red laughed, seemingly delighted.  
“You think you’re the Big Bad Wolf in this scenario, Blue? I got bad news for ya,” Red said, matter-of-factly.  
He vanished suddenly, appearing behind Sans. Sans turned just in time for Red’s foot to smash him hard across the face. Sans flew backwards, hitting a tree.  
“Ya ain’t seen nothin’, yet, pal,” Red finished, smirking.  
Bones tore through the ground toward Red. With a howl of surprise, he jumped out of the way just in time for another barrage to come from the opposite direction.  
“Shit!” He yelled, sending a wave of his own to counteract the wave of death coming his way.  
As he hit the ground, Sans appeared above him, landing on his ribcage with his knees. Cracking like the breaking of twigs shattered the night. Red screamed in pain, teleporting out of harm’s way.  
“How’s that for bad? I wouldn’t want to ‘fracture’ our budding friendship, but you fucked with the wrong guy’s partner, bud!”  
“God, I hate puns,” Red grumbled.  
“See? You and Roman definitely wouldn’t work out. Roman is ‘captive’-ated by my puns!”  
Roman snorted.  
Red shook his head. “My ‘knock, knock’ jokes are better.”  
“’Knock, knock’ jokes? What are you, my dad?” Sans guffawed.  
“Oh, really? ‘Knock, knock!’”  
Sans rolled his eyes. “’Who’s there?’”  
“’Red.’”  
“‘Red who?’“  
“’I’m ‘reddy’ to get this fight over with so I can go the hell home!’“ Red shouted, annoyed.  
“Boo!” Roman called out from their place by the tree.  
“Oh, come on!” Red shouted. “That was funny!”  
“I got one for you, Red,” Sans said. “Say, ‘knock, knock.’”  
“‘Knock, knock.’“  
“‘Who’s there?’“ Sans said, grinning like an idiot.  
Roman laughed, in spite of themselves. Red whirled on them.   
“Are you serious? That was la-!”  
A bright blue beam blasted past Red’s skull, narrowly missing him, vaporizing the trees to the left of him and Roman. When he turned back around, Sans stood, all business once more, the Gaster Blaster glaring out from behind him.


	7. Bonetrousle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus to the rescue!

“Oh,” Red said, nodding slowly. “We’re playin’ rough, now.”  
His own left eye started glowing with the same intensity as Sans’, and a darker, more twisted version of a Gaster Blaster appeared. Red clucked his tongue.  
“Better watch your aim, Blue. Wouldn’t want my new pet to get hurt.”  
“I’m gonna dust you, you know that?” Sans asked, flatly.  
“Try me,” Red said, gesturing with a long, spidery finger.  
Beams of red and blue light filled up illuminated the trees around them. Bones of unknown origin burst from the ground in rapid succession, some narrowly missing Roman. If they had to guess, they were Red’s. The few glimpses they caught of Sans showed him concentrating hard, likely trying to aim.  
Roman dragged themselves to the opposite side of the tree, hoping that it would offer some protection from the barrage of damage around them. More importantly, though, they were worried about Sans. If he died...  
Roman started looking around for some means of escape. If they could get away, Sans could leave the battle. Would he, though? Machismo be damned! He better! No matter where they looked, though, there was nothing strong enough or sharp enough to free them from the thick ropes Red had tied them with.  
As Roman has started to give up hope of escape, they heard an odd rustling in the bushes nearby. Great! Now, what? Am I going to get eaten by a fucking bear? As they braced themselves for what was coming, Papyrus emerged from the shadows. He held a gloved hand in front of his face and shushed them, nervously.  
“Once I untie you, we’ll let Sans know we’ve escaped,” Papyrus whispered.  
He sounded tense but relieved simultaneously. Roman was happy to see him, either way. Jittery and cautious, Papyrus untied the ropes binding Roman. As soon as they were free, they threw their arms around Papyrus’ neck.  
“I thought I’d never see you again, Paps. Thank you for coming for me.”  
Papyrus mumbled something involving a “nyeh” and squeezed back. Not tarrying too long, though. The two separated.  
“We’ll get where only Sans can see us and signal him,” Papyrus said, quietly.  
Sneaking through the trees, they reach a vantage point that was only in Sans’ line of vision. Papyrus and Roman waved frantically to get his attention. After a minute or two, his eye lights shifted just enough to see them, but he kept his expression unreadable.  
Knowing they had been seen, Paps and Roman made a run for it. Roman quietly hoped that Sans would do the smart thing and leave, now. The last thing they wanted was to be without him.


	8. One Last Jab

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A narrow escape!

Sans had moved up to two Gaster Blasters, but so had Red. At this rate, they were going to decimate the entire forest and Roman along with it. He had to do something.  
Before he could make another move, motion caught his eye. In the distance, Papyrus was waving like a lunatic. Next to him, doing the same, was Roman. They were safe. Relief washed over him, but the last thing he wanted was for shithead to find out, so he stayed stoic. Red wasn’t getting Roman, and he damn sure wasn’t getting his brother, too.  
To make sure he didn’t catch on, he fired two relentless beams at the crimson impostor. Red growled and fired back. Sans kept this back and forth going for a few minutes longer. He wanted to give them plenty of time to get away.   
He glanced back toward the place where they had been standing. They were gone. Good. He could leave now. Or so he thought.  
A bone shot up from the ground, grazing his ribs and tearing a hole in his jacket. The shock knocked the wind out of him, sending him careening to the ground. He landed with a hard thump against the Gaster-beam-exposed ground. He wheezed hard and rolled onto his side.  
“Well, well, Blue! Looks like I win!” Red sneered, sauntering up.  
Sans chuckled, breathlessly. “Sorry to disappoint you, bud, but I won. You’ll be going home empty-handed.”  
Red, stunned, spun toward the tree where he had left his victim. He growled, deep and low. He glared over his shoulder at Sans, who saluted him smugly.  
“It was fun distracting you, but I’m “reddy” to get out of here! Oh, and if you ever touch my partner, again, the only thing ‘red’ about you is the smear I’m gonna leave. See ya!”  
He shot a scarlet Gaster beam at the place where Sans had been, screaming in rage at the empty, smoldering clearing. “You think this is over, Blue? I ain’t done! Not with you, and I damn sure ain’t done with Roman! You just made life real hard for them, pal! Ya shoulda stayed away!”  
Pressed against a tree, hidden in the dark, Sans slammed his fist against a tree.


	9. The End?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it, though?

Papyrus and Roman stood outside of Grillby’s, watching anxiously for Sans. Papyrus placed a comforting hand on their head.  
“It seems like the smaller the skeleton, the bigger the nerves,” he said, gently.  
Roman chuckled. “I guess. I’m just worried.”  
“Me, too,” Papyrus muttered.  
“Watcha doin’?” Drifted out of the darkness beside them.  
Papyrus and Roman squealed, dragging waterfalls of belly laughter out of Sans. “God! You two are a mess!”  
Roman tackled Sans without a word. Sans squeezed as if he were afraid they’d disappear.  
“I wasn’t gonna let him take you from me, ya know?”  
Roman nodded, their eyes drifting to the hole in Sans’ jacket. “Did he hurt you?!”  
Sans snorted. “You’re worried about me?! After what I...After...Did he hurt you?”  
“He was going to, but then you showed up,” Roman said, leaning into him, again.  
“He’s never going to touch you, again. I want you and Paps to stay together if you aren’t with me, okay?”  
Papyrus looked surprised. “Is he not...?”  
Sans shook his head. “I ducked out as soon as I thought you two were safe. I figured that’s what Roman wanted.”  
Roman grabbed the hole. “It was, and I’m glad you did.”  
“Anyway, you guys! Enough downer talk! Let’s celebrate, right now, and run up a tab that we’re never gonna pay!”  
“SANS!” Papyrus snapped.  
“Never gonna pay!” He cried again, leading Roman inside.  
Roman laughed and shook his head.  
“Sans, you have to pay,” Papyrus insisted.  
“I can’t hear ya, Paps!”  
“Sans...”  
With a frustrated sigh, Papyrus followed them inside, complaining every step of the way. Somewhere in the distance, hateful eyes watched.


End file.
